DC Universe Online Stuck in Phone Booth

Putting on DC Universe Online's tights is taking longer than Sony anticipated, so hopefully the world can survive until 2011.

The world's first full-scale licensed comic book MMORPG won't make it to shelves in 2010. Though Sony Online Entertainment's DC Universe Online was expected to release on the PC and PlayStation 3 this year, the game has now been delayed to early 2011.

President of SOE John Smedley blames the delay on the fact that MMOs are hard to make, while DC Universe Online also has to appropriately represent the DC Universe's stable of comic book characters. He says: "DC Universe Online is the first game of its kind, and a truly massive undertaking -- the first action MMO set in the DC Universe, the first MMO on the PlayStation 3, and the first time the entire DC Universe will be accessible to millions of fans."

The delay allows SOE to get in more external beta testing, which actually turns this negative into a positive. Customers that pre-order the game by November 15 will get access to DC Universe Online's beta test by November 30 (in North America only). Those that pre-order after that date will get to try out the beta one week before release. Anyone registered on DC Universe Online's website by now will get priority access, though without pre-ordering players will have to register on the website by 11:59 PST tonight and still aren't guaranteed access.

The main reason to get yourself into the beta of DC Universe Online will be to participate in a pre-launch beta event called "Battle of the Legends." A similarly named event recently occurred at the San Diego Comic Con, which was a tournament style battle between heroes and villains, so it'll likely be something similar. Players in the beta will also get a special emblem to display on their characters.

Further, SOE announced that the collector's edition of DC Universe Online once exclusive to the PC, containing a Batman statue, art book, DC Universe Online Legends comic book, and Jim Lee-drawn poster, will now be available for the PlayStation 3 version as well. Just don't forget that while playing PlayStation 3 games online might normally be free, DC Universe Online comes with a monthly fee. On the bright side, other PlayStation 3 games don't let you hang out with Superman.